Nuriko and Hikaru's Untitled Fic
by Nuriko Schezar
Summary: Hitomi ends up in Astoria via a present from Allen, and they travel off to "her" Van in Fanelia, but wait, what's this Allen's got to tell Hitomi? And, who are all these weird people showing up?


Ch1: The Lonely Knight and Deja Vu  
  
"The Mystic Moon sure looks beautiful tonight," a man said, with a sad lonesome tone. "I wonder if I'll ever see her again. She was so full of life and beauty. Perhaps I was never meant to find true love."  
He pulled off his long blue vest that sweeped to his midcalf and then followed that action by sitting in his chair.  
"Ah, Celena. You've left me, too," he sighed as he continued his observation of the blue planet and its satellite. "I always lose the females near me." The man stood and walked to the fireplace; he added another log. "It's going to be another cold and lonely night."   
Thoughts of the past came up. Celena, Okaa-san, Marlene, Millerna, and then ... her. "You had the choice. You chose there, not here with me, or even ... him."  
Tears welled up in the man's blue eyes. "He took her away and then, my very own sister. She hadn't even been with me two years! I thought, I thought, I thought you were in love!" The man screamed. He stopped. 'What am I doing? A Knight Caeli should be able to deal with such cumbersome circumstances. You think I'd be used to them by now!'  
Knock, knock, knock rapped at the door.   
He walked over in the direction of the door. "Coming." The man opened the door. "Gaddes! Ah, come in."  
"Hey, Commander. Doshteno? You seem as though you are being troubled," the new man inquired.  
"What? Oh, ano, well," the commander began.  
"Oh, that? C'mon! Let's go get a drink. You'll feel better afterwards!"  
"Ah, hmmn. Okay."  
*`~~~`*  
"Hey, bartender, wuzzat? Uh, yeah. Gimme a double shot of it and he'll take the same." Gaddes looked at his superior. "Make that s triple shot."  
"For both of you or just him?" the bartender asked.  
"Nah, I'll take one, too."  
"Hai."  
"I'm so glad we got these bars, man. Ne?"  
"Ah, so desu," the commander spacily agreed.   
"I'm so glad Hitomi told King Astor about bars that she has back home, uh--" Gaddes looked at his sempai. 'I hope the drink helps him. Poor fella.'  
The knight-sempai took a quick glug of his liquor. "Another." Glug. He put his shotglass in front of himself.   
The bartender filled it up again. Then again. Again. Yet again. The knight placed his shotglass out again.   
"Ano, sir, I believe you shouldn't have anymore," the barman suggested. He turned his head. "Gaddes, maybe you should take him home."  
"Kay. Mou, Commander," answered Gaddes. Being a regular to the place, he knew the barman well. He left the payment on the counter, then headed out with his drunken sempai leaning on his shoulders. Gaddes had drunk less than his commander but was still unfazed, unlike his sempai who was barely conscious.   
They were approaching their castle as a young voice was heard.  
"A-Al-len-san?"  
The commander looked up ahead. No one. "Can it be?"  
He tried turning around; he failed at this task. "Gaddes, help me." He did as commanded. The knight could recognize the shape of a young girl with dirty blonde hair layered from her ears to slightly below her chin.  
'I'm too drunk for this dream to be a reality,' he thought. "Hitomi?"  
The commander lost his grasp on consciousness and collapsed.  
"Gaddes, will he be okay?" inquired the new girl.   
"Yeah, he just needs to sleep. He never gets drunk, so his body has trouble processing this much alcohol," responded Gaddes.   
"That reminds me of my first trip to Astoria," she commented.  
"I remember. You were so drunk and the commander--"  
"Yeah, I was there. I remember it vividly."  
The girl helped Gaddes take the commander to his room in the castle.  
"So how have things been with you?"  
"Pretty good. I won my last track meet before summer vacation. Mother said I could come visit, so I did! But what happened to Allen-san? To make him drink so much?"  
"You see, he kinda fell apart tonight. He's normally A-OK, but I guess he had some sort of premonition or something."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, he'll probably end up telling you. You'll find out soon. I know you don't know yet."  
"Know what?"  
"Nothing. Hey! Have you stopped anywhere other than Astoria yet?"  
"No. Allen-san gave me a gift last time. I used it to transport to Gaea. And because it was from Allen-san, it led me straight to him!"  
They settled Allen on his vast bed.  
"Oh, okay. Yawn! Well, I'm going to get some shuteye. Commander will probably freak when he wakes up. He'll still have a hangover. Take care."  
"Okay! You take care, too, Gaddes-san!"  
"Hi...tomi, Hitomi," muttered Allen.  
The girl smiled.   
"Allen-san." She laid down on the bed beside him and held his hand. She contemplated concealing herself under the covers, but decided that with this knight's reputation it would not look innocent. She was also already dedicated to a man and could not betray the trust of her beloved.   
It took her a while to fall asleep; she was reminiscing on her time spent with Allen and all of their friends. That time was the climax of her life. She never knew what love or destiny was until that time when the innermost desire of creatures surfaced. The instinct to fight.   
The sunlight entered the room, giving birth to a new journey. Hitomi yawned and opened her eyes. All she saw was a yellow.   
"Ack!" she screamed as she shot up, like she had been waking from a nightmare. The yellow mass now was all over her body. "Ack! Get offa me!" The young girl began swatting and cursing it.   
"What the...!" shouted "Sleeping Beauty" as he flung himself from the bed, clutching the sword resting alongside the nightstand and unsheathing it as he whipped around all in one fluid motion, the sword a hairbreadth from the now unmasked Hitomi's nose.   
Hitomi looked up at her comrade. His sunkissed hair was still sweeping around his head. She was panting from fear.  
"Hitomi?" he gasped.   
She nodded her head, eyes still wide with surprised alarm. The sound of metal clanging against granite could be heard throughout the room.   
"Gomen, gomen, Hitomi," he sobbed. Hitomi could feel his arms around her hold her in a tight embrace.   
'We're friends and friends hug each other, so it's not like I'm cheating on him or anything,' she reasoned. So Hitomi returned the hug and weeped. The excitement in this vacation had already been so great -- visits to Gaea were always full of excitement, no matter who was taking the voyage from the Mystic Moon.   
"Allen-san, it's okay. You just had me scared," appeased Hitomi.   
"Are you really here? Am I still dreaming?"  
"No, no, Allen-san. This isn't a dream. I'm here with you."  
"Hitomi." He held her tighter, but neither of them noticed his actions. "I've missed you. Everyone has."  
"I've missed you so much, too. I've missed all of you. I'm so happy to be here; it brings back so many happy times. They all feel like they were in a big dream. A dream, a dream I wish I never woke up from." She began to emit tears from her eyes.   
On the bed they remained, sobbing in each other's grasp, just happy to be with one another.   
Allen pulled away. He knew she missed him and would want to see him. "Hitomi."  
"Yes, Allen-san?"  
"Do you want to go see him?"  
"Yes! Let's!" She hesitated. She had forgotten that she was in the bed chamber of the man that had proposed to her less than two years ago. "Um, that is, if it's okay with you," she added.  
"Let's leave later today. You should shower; your journey was long." Chivalry could be such an daunting role.   
'Oh, no! Why did I just act all excited? I know how Allen-san feels, or felt, about me. Hitomi no baka!' the young girl thought, but she was quick to enfeeble those apprehensive feelings.  
"Hai!" She saluted him, as a knight would to his king.  
Allen laughed. He was used to this Hitomi, happy and blithe.  
"I'll have Gaddes prepare us all some breakfast."  
"Gaddes?"  
"He's actually a good cook. Once you left, I asked him to cook, so he did. It wasn't my favorite meal, but no one died. So he's been cooking since and isn't too bad. And no one has suffered from his comestibles."  
"Allen-san! You're normally serious!"   
The two laughed. It was good to be with old friends once again, even if the laughter would cease soon.  
"But, if you trust Gaddes' food, then I guess I do, too!" Hitomi decided.  
She wandered over toward the restroom and pivoted slowly. "I'll see you later, Allen-san!"   
She gave a big smile. Allen returned with a small, amused grin.   
"Have a good shower. I'm off to get Gaddes."  
Watching her once again was ecstasy. Her apparent glee shimmered around her; she was about to see her beloved, the one of her dreams. The door closed and the blonde girl disappeared behind it.   
Now leaning on the door, Allen sighed, "I love her so much; I didn't even know how much till now. I do wish that she wasn't about to get her shattered into pieces as numerous as the stars, just as mine was."  
Instantly deciding to up his morale, the Heavenly Knight left his room to see Gaddes. Knock, knock, knock. No movement. Rap, rap, rap. Nothing.   
"Gaddes?" No response.  
KNOCKEDY KNOCK KNOCK!! "GADDES!!"   
Another sigh. "He's probably still hung over."  
The door squeaked as Allen entered it. He continued summoning his subordinate, all to no avail. Snores and mutters began to fill the room.   
"Hitomi, Hitomi!"  
The knight looked at the man on the bed. "Hitomi! Don't go, I love you! Come back! Come back! Hitomiiiiii!!!"  
Eyes squinted on the blonde man approaching the bed. "I order you to stop mimicking me!"  
Gaddes leaped from the bed and saluted his commander. "Yessir! Forgive me for my imprudence! Sir!"  
"Go make breakfast for us all."  
"Yessir!" Gaddes went for his closet to find some "suitable" clothing attire for the day.  
"Oh, and Gaddes..."  
"Yessir?"  
"Don't serve any alcohol with breakfast. We need to be sober for this next journey we are about to embark on." Allen looked Gaddes in the eye now. "And between the two of us last night, we had enough to kill a monster."  
"Sir!"  
Allen returned to his chamber. Hitomi was sitting in the armchair by the window, wearing only Allen's robe.  
"Hitomi?"  
"Allen-san!" She looked down at what she was wearing. "Oh! The maids came by and took my uniform. It was kinda another thing where I just appeared from the light. I was holding onto your gift when I transported. I was really missing everyone and Mother said I could visit over Summer Vacation, and I did! Right before bed. I was going to come this morning, but you know! Too far away to change destiny, so it still chooses for me!"  
"Hitomi, you adorable girl. So this is your subtle way of asking for clothes?"  
"Yeah," she mumbled, staring down at her lap.  
"I'll find some dresses for you and you can choose whichever ones you want. We could go shopping after breakfast?"  
"No, Allen-san, you've been helping me so much already. I don't want to trouble you more."  
"No trouble at all. I'll go obtain some dresses for you."   
She agreed; there was no point in arguing with someone that almost ended your life not too long ago. Especially if that person was as special and loving as her dear friend, Sir Allen Shezar of Asturia.   
'Oh, she looked so beautiful in my robe,' thought the wistful knight.  
Knock, knock, knock! "Helena, it's Allen."  
"Allen-sama!" was heard as the door squeaked open.  
"Helena-san. I have good friend over, Hitomi. The maids took her clothes. Could you bring some dresses over to my room and help her out?"  
"Of course, anything for you, Allen-sama."  
Helena grabbed a few of her dresses and handed each one over to Allen. She strolled down the corridor down to the chamber of her favorite Heavenly Knight, the man following behind with a bundle of gowns in his arms and swaying ever so slightly.   
"Hitomi-chan? It's Helena Windsor; I've come to lend you some clothes. Will you allow me to enter?" she called into the room.  
"Arigatou, Helena-san! Please, come in. Thank you!" Hitomi opened the door. "I really don't like the idea of parading around in Allen-san's bathrobe all day. No offense, you understand, Allen-san?"  
'Allen-sama's bathrobe.... er.... She's so lucky! I'd love to wear his bathrobe! But, I promised to help her out; I promised Allen-sama. Any promise I make to him must be fulfilled without any sign of agitation. She seems like she's a very nice girl, though. So she seems like she would be a good person to make friends with.' Helena smiled as she entered. "I understand completely, Hitomi-chan. Wearing the clothes of a man is unfit for any lady, especially his well, I'm sure you grasp my meaning. Allen-sama, place the dresses upon the bed," hummed Helena.  
"Yes, ma'am." He did as he was commanded. "Should I take my shower now?"  
"Yes, go take it now, you smelly man!" giggled Helena.  
Allen disappeared into the washroom; he pondered what the young woman would look like afterwards. He began imagining her in Helena's dresses -- he had seen most of them, so he could easily imagine them over Hitomi's silhouette.   
"Hitomi, you may choose any dresses you so desire," said Helena.   
"Wow! They're all so beautiful!" Hitomi wowed. "Are you sure?"  
"Oh, yes, it's no problem at all. Based upon Allen-sama's description of you, it seemed as though you would fit perfectly into some of my outgrown gowns. You don't mind, do you?"  
"Oh, no! These are just so wonderful!"  
The young courtess fitted the blonde into a yellow midcalf dress and sat upon Allen's desk chair. She closed her eyes as her grooming was done by Helena. Her hair was being pulled slightly, but this for some reason was of no matter; it was a relaxing feeling -- a feeling felt by all females while their hair was being tended to. Her eyelids closed while a vision of a thieving catgirl danced before her. The girl's hair was pink and her frock was beige and not form-fitting at all.   
'Merle, will you even speak to me? I took the one of our hearts. Please forgive me; you would have done the exact same thing. We both know the king is irresistible.'  
"There! All finished!" cheered Helena. "Might I add, you look positively stunning! Allen-sama will love it!"  
'He never really noticed it on me...but on this girl, he would,' she thought, passing a hand mirror to Hitomi.  
The blonde awed over her simple hair style. It wasn't too much, nor was it to little. The top half of her hair had been pulled back into a single braid. "It's perfect! Thank you, Helena-san!"  
"Excuse me, ladies, but do you mind stepping out of my room for a moment while I change?" inquired Allen, wrapped in a single towel at his hips.  
The girls turned; they're faces turned a shade of vermilion that had never been seen on Gaea or the Mystic Moon.   
'Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that she's here. I'd have never had the chance to see Allen-sama this way.'  
'No, I can't look. I'm committed and I don't want any of my old feelings for Allen-san to surface. No, Hitomi, he'd not like it if you were in this position. Why aren't my feet moving? He wants me to go, but I can't... it's not bad to look at this, but he wouldn't like it...turn around Hitomi. Allen-san truly is beautiful. I mean, I don't remember him looking this good since the time we kissed...on the bridge that time. Turn around. My body's not listening to me.... why not?'  
"Hitomi-chan, you heard him, we have to leave. Let's stop by my chamber. It'll be a much better environment for a lady. A man's bedroom is no place for us. Let's go. Please excuse us, Allen-sama." Helena pushed Hitomi out of the room.  
"Hai, you're right, Helena-san. We should go now. Ja ne, Allen-san," bid Hitomi farewell.   
'She's a really sweet girl. Allen-sama's really got it for her. However, if the rumors are correct, she's with the King of Fanelia. But, there have been rumors of a different persuasion...maybe I should ask Allen-sama.'  
'I'm so glad Helena-san was there. I'd have still been standing there, staring at him if it wasn't for her. I must have looked like such an idiot.'  
"Oh, how ravishing she looked in Helena's dress. She had such a smile on her face, I just can't stand the idea of having to shatter it soon," sighed Allen.   
  
"Hitomi-chan, did you see Allen-sama's face? He just loves the way you look!"  
"Really, Helena-san?"  
"Really!"   
Giggles followed, then sighs.   
Helena knew her heart would never be linked to her dear, dear Allen-sama, and that the only one he wished to share the red string with was Hitomi.   
Hitomi knew all that, but she could not share the string with Allen-san. Her string was secured with her one true love. And soon the perfect couple was to be reunited.  
  
Stepping out of his room, Allen was dressed in his usual Knight Caeli uniform. A strange feeling in his stomach was present. Thinking way back into the past, he recognized the sensation as nervousness.   
'I have to shake this off,' he decided, fluffing his blush-colored ascot and tossing his head, letting the long blonde locks fall into place. As if his more neatened appearance eased his butterflies, Allen advanced down the hall, taller and straighter.  
"Ladies, Gaddes should be ready now," he called through Helena's expansive wooden door.  
"We're coming, Allen-sama!" answered Helena. A moment or two later the two young women entered the corridor.  
"You both look beautiful."  
"Now, Allen-sama, you know it's not nice to ogle at us like that. You might like to mop up some of that drool, you know." Helena flirtatiously brushed her fingers along the edges of his mouth. "I may have to lock my self in my room, you playboy."  
"You still have that reputation, Allen-san?" inquired Hitomi.   
"I can't seem to shake it off. You would think a lady would like some attention from a distinguished knight like myself, but obviously that is not the case."  
'Allen's loosened up since I last saw him. He used to act more serious. I think I like him even better now,' thought the girl from the Mystic Moon.  
Through the stained glass windows, sunlight peeked in, accenting their laughing cheeks.  
"Shall we?" Allen extended his elbows.  
Helena quickly latched onto the nearest elbow as Hitomi calmly walked around to the other arm. Linking hers with his brought a faint, yet familiar, reassurance.   
  
"Itadakimasu," mumbled Hitomi before she began to fill her plate.   
"Hitomi-chan, I don't mean to sound rude, but what was that you just said?" asked Helena.  
"It's a blessing we say before we eat. Gaddes, this looks so delicious. You really never seemed like the cooking type to me."  
"Ah, it's actually fun. I thought it was a woman's job to do the housework at first, but then I had to do some cooking once you went back home and found it as a fun thing. I mean, I used to go out and kill people for Commander Schezar, so I didn't have much time to try new things. Now I know I'm useful to people for reasons other than killing and navigating. So I cook for all the guys when Commander's out with a woman," joshed Gaddes.  
"Gaddes, you know I haven't been with a woman since the war."  
"It's called a joke, Commander Schezar. A joke. I wasn't being serious."  
"I know that as well as you, but Hitomi and Helena haven't been around your humor as much as I have."  
"It's OK, Allen-sama. I understand it. After all, we all live here together and I understand Hitomi-chan's traveled with you sundry times on her last visit." Helena couldn't help but feel jealously toward Hitomi at that moment. It wasn't that she meant to feel that way, in fact, it sickened her to do so--Helena just held a woman's heart beating in her chest.   
"It's no problem, really. Back at home, nobody takes things seriously. It's as if they're hiding tragedy within. But I'm not going to search inside their heart; I might end up dying again," she giggled.  
The light atmosphere darkened at her comment. Gaddes thought about his inner desires and how Commander Allen was the only one Helena could see. Allen thought about how much he coveted Hitomi, and how her love was not he, and of how her heart would break later in the day. Hitomi thought of how she broke Allen's heart by breaking the engagement. She fingered the ring on her necklace.   
The only present she got from Gaea. That, and a hug from her love.   
"Gouchisousama," she mumbled after finishing her plate.   
"Gouchisousama," echoed Helena, giving a smile to her "rival."   
  
"Aren't you coming with us, Helena-san?" Hitomi asked.  
"Oh, no. I've got to watch the castle while both Allen-sama and Gaddes are out with you."  
"I'm coming, too, Commander?" the blue-haired man questioned.   
"Of course. No one else can pilot the Crusader as well as you can. And, we need a cook," the Knight eased.  
"I can cook for you?"   
"I'm sure Hitomi would be eager to try more of your dishes."  
"Yes, I would, Gaddes-san. It was as delicious as it looked."   
"See?"   
"Are you sure you can't come, Helena-san?"  
"I'd only be a bother anyway."  
"If you're sure, then..."  
"Don't worry at all. I'm a big girl. I'll be fine. You be safe. Gaddes is going to be piloting you all. And it is true; Gaddes is the best navigator. Take care of yourself. Don't let any dragons eat you. Fanelia's well-known for it's dragons."  
"I know. I'll take care. I've put my life in their hands before, so I know I can trust them."  
'Is she really going to trust him once she meets back up with him?' wondered Allen. 


End file.
